NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: CHINATOWN

By KELLY CROW

Published: July 7, 2002

Standing last week outside his restaurant on narrow Pell Street, Danny Ng said he had nothing personal against Spike Lee. Mr. Ng even tried to be pleasant two weeks ago when Mr. Lee, the director, brought a fleet of trucks and camera crews to the neighborhood to film scenes of his new movie, ''25th Hour,'' in which Edward Norton spends a night wandering the city before starting a long prison sentence.

But soon after Mr. Lee left, another crew rolled in to film an episode of ''Law and Order: Criminal Intent.'' Yet again, thoroughfares like Canal Street, Mott Street and the Bowery were shut to outside traffic and deliveries, and yet again Mr. Ng's block was clogged not with customers but with trucks for movie crews.

''I want to say movies are good, but when they close our streets for days, I don't get any business,'' he said. ''Parking is already a nightmare here. And every time the movie people pull in, everything else has to stop.''

Oliver Ng (no relation), a fellow restaurant owner who overheard the conversation, said: ''It's true, and it's horrible. We pay taxes to park here and do business here, but Hollywood doesn't really help us.''

In response to such complaints, about 60 local business owners began circulating a petition about a month ago asking the city to place a temporary moratorium on filming in Chinatown. The group wants the city to address the shortage of parking spaces -- long a festering local issue -- before temporarily shutting down any more streets.

But news of the petition has unsettled other merchants, among them Paul J. Q. Lee, who say such a move would hurt Chinatown's chances of attracting film-related tourism. Typically, he said, at least one major film is made in the neighborhood every year, most recently ''Eraser, the Corruptor'' and ''Don't Say a Word.'' Commercials are rarer, although American Express came last year to make a series of spots.

''I'm fighting to have Chinatown exposed, and this group is taking us 10 steps back,'' Paul Lee said. ''I mean, do they want us to admit that filmmaking here is a pain? You bet it is, but is it worth it? Well, when the movies come out, we look like a million dollars, and that benefits everybody.''

Mr. Lee, who manages the 32 Mott Street General Store and occasionally works as a movie consultant, said tensions over street closings should be addressed without banning movies altogether. He suggested that filming in Chinatown be forbidden on Sundays, a popular market day. He also said neighbors might have more patience if a representative from the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting became a regular presence at community meetings.

Julianne Cho, spokeswoman for the film office, said a moratorium was unlikely.

''It's a little frustrating for us because we've tried to work with Chinatown and be sensitive,'' she said. ''But we keep hearing two things. One day they beg for the business. The next they scream at us to go away.'' KELLY CROW

Photo: Pell Street has become a popular spot for filming. (Ting-Li Wang/The New York Times)